Apparatus for steaming tobacco



A. HAR'NI'SH. s for Steaming Tobacco.

Apparatu Patented April 13, 1880.-

H n m I v NJHEHS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER WASHXNGTON. D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAHAM HARNISH, OF INTERCOURSE, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR STEAMING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 226,515, dated April 13, 1880.

' Application filed February 14, 1880.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM HARNISH, of Intercourse, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Steaming Tobacco and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, andin which- Figure l is a plan or top view of my improved apparatus with the cover removed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on line a; m, Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on line y y, Fig. 2.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the cover is representedin its proper position.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

This invention has relation to apparatus for steaming leaf-tobacco for the purpose of facilitatin g the removal of the stems in the process of stripping; and it consists in the improvement hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, A is a wooden box, rectangular in shape and of any suitable size, which is provided with a ledge or shoulder, a, on the inside of each of its long sides.. as shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Fitting closelyover the top of box A is a frame, B, in which is stretched a sheet of felt or analogous fabric, 0, which is held tightly in place within the frame by means of clamping-strips a a. Resting removably upon the ledges a to within the box is a rack composed of cross-bars b b and longitudinal parallel slats 0 c.

D is a steam-pipe, the bent part or elbow D of which is inserted into the bottom part of box A, and provided with a cross pipe or head, D, having a series of apertures, d d d.

The perforated cross-head D is removable,

and may be so adjusted upon its elbow-D that its apertures shall point either in an upward or in a downward direction.

Upon the bottom of boxA is spread one or more layers of felt or similar fabric, E, and the steam-pipeD may be provided with a stop-cock to regulate or shut off the flow of steam from the boiler (which may be placed wherever it is convenient) into the box.

The bunches of leaf-tobacco to be stripped are suspended from the rack b 0, hanging down into the box, and the loose leaves are placed upon the rack, after which the cover is placed over the box and steam is turned on. The hot steam will thoroughly permeate the tobacco in the box, softening and loosening the soft parts of the leaves from the stems and veins, the felt cover (J preventing the steam from escaping too rapidly from the box, while the layers of felt E in the bottom of the box will absorb any excess of moisture resulting from condensation. By placing some loose leaves upon the felt cover 0, through which the steam escapes, the condition of the tobacco within the box may readily be ascertained without removing the cover, and after this has been subjected for a suitable period to the action of the steam it is removed for stripping, and fresh bunches of unsteamed tobacco take its place.

I am aware that the use of an upper porous surface or cover applied to a vessel with a steam-pipe passing through the upper part of the vessel or steamer, so as to expose the said cover or surface to the direct action of the steam through which it passes to the superposed tobacco, is old.

I am also aware that it is not new to expose the tobacco hung in the steamer to the action of steam supplied to the same through a perforated horizontal pipe located in the bottom of the steamer and suitably connected to the boiler.

Having thus described myinvention, Iclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- Theimproved tobacco-steamerherein shown and described, composed of the box A, provided with the ledges or parallel shoulders at a, removable rack consisting of the cross-bars b b and parallel slats c 0, frame B, provided with the felt-cover O, steam-pipe D, having elbow D, and detachable and reversible crosshead D, provided with apertures 61 d d, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ABRAHAM HARNISHF Witnesses ISAAC MURR, PHARES BUGKWALTER. 

